This invention describes a bedside assistant, which helps people sit up in bed and stand up from a bed, as well as the bed equipped with it.
For an injured or an elderly person, it is often difficult to get into an upright position or get out of bed from a horizontal position without help. Hospital beds usually have a movable horizontal bar extending around the bed from the headboard. Attached to the bar there is a triangular handle which assists a person lying in the bed to get into an upright position by grabbing the handle. But this kind of equipment does not help in the process of getting out of bed.
Other examples of bed mobility equipment are available, one example being DE 297 09 508 U1. This equipment contains a telescopic handle which can be removed and placed under the bed when not in use. When the handle is needed, it is taken out from beneath the bed and is opened vertically, slightly above the bed surface. The handle is stirrup-shaped and is swiveled on a vertical axis. The handle is fixed with a catch in a predetermined position. To release the catch and allow the handle to swivel it is necessary to lift the handle in a vertical direction in order to separate the lock. A person sitting on the edge of the bed can pull on the handle to help oneself stand out of bed. To use this mobility aid, however, it is necessary that a person is in a sitting position and the person's legs are preferably on the floor next to the bed.
Another example of bed mobility equipment is DE 203 07 477 U1. With this type of equipment, there is a handle mounted on a movable carriage under the bed. This device works similarly to DE 297 09 508 U1, helping a person get out of bed with a longitudinal displacement from the bed. Another is DE 197 16 249 A1, which is a height-adjustable handle that connects to the mattress support and can be attached to the bed frame. However, all this bed mobility equipment has the same drawbacks as DE 297 09 508 U1, mentioned in the previous paragraph.
In order for a person to both sit up in bed and stand up out of bed, two different mobility equipment devices are needed: one bar for sitting up and another mobility equipment device to get up. Metal bars fixed on beds as an aid for sitting up are widely used, but are mostly regarded as aesthetically displeasing.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.